How Do You Get Rid of Lice Overnight?

Common signs and symptoms of lice infestation can include:

• Itching of the scalp, neck, and ears (open wounds on the scalp and neck due to severe itching)
• Visible lice on the scalp
• Visible lice eggs on the hair shafts
• Sores on the scalp, neck, and shoulders

Female lice produce a sticky substance that attaches the eggs to the base of the hair shaft, up to 5 mm from the scalp.

The life cycle of lice:

• Eggs: They typically hatch after six to nine days.
• Nymphs: These are immature forms of lice. They develop into mature adults after 9-12 days.
• Adult lice: They usually live for three to four weeks, and the adult female lice lay around 6-10 eggs a day.

Transmission of head lice:

Head lice can’t jump or fly; they can only crawl. Lice usually directly transfer from the hair of one person to another. Therefore, head lice infestation may not always be a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean environment. Pets, such as dogs and cats, usually don't play a role in spreading head lice. Some possible ways of transmission include: 

• Direct and close contact with another person that has head lice
• Sharing hats and scarves
• Brushes and combs
• Hair accessories
• Headphones
• Sharing pillows, towels, and clothing

Alternative lifestyle and home remedies can be used alongside medical treatment to help get rid of lice faster. Home remedies alone may not be effective because there is no scientific proof of their effectiveness, and one may consult with a doctor before following them.

• Wet combing: Combing the entire hair from the scalp to the tips when it is wet with a fine-toothed comb can remove lice and some eggs. A lubricant such as olive oil or coconut oil used while combing the hair makes it easy to remove the lice. This can be repeated every three to four days for a few weeks till there are no more lice found.
• Essential oils: Certain essential oils such as tea tree oil or ylang-ylang oil may kill lice by suffocating them.
• Smothering agents: There are several common home products that may kill lice by depriving them of air and smothering them. These products include petroleum jelly (Vaseline), olive oil, butter, or mayonnaise. Any of these products may be applied to the scalp and hair, covered with a shower cap, and left on overnight.
• Dehydration: Applying hot air with a special machine operated by a professional can cause dehydration, possibly killing the eggs and lice.
• Household cleaning: Lice usually can’t live more than a day without feeding off a human scalp, and the eggs can’t survive if they aren't incubated at the temperature in the scalp. Despite this, as a precaution, it is advised to clean items that a person with lice infestation has used in the previous two days. Cleaning recommendations include:
  • Washing clothing, soft toys, and bedding in hot soapy water at a temperature of 130°F (54.4°C) at least, and they should be dried at high heat.
  • Cleaning hair care items such as hair combs, brushes, or hair accessories by soaking them in hot soapy water for at least 10 minutes.
  • Safely sealing items that cannot be washed in plastic bags for at least two weeks.
  • Vacuuming the floor and furniture can help get rid of lice.

Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray.

Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets.

• Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests. Vinegar is often used as a contact type insecticide, which means that you need to spray it directly onto the spotted bug to make it effective.
• Vinegar is basically an aqueous solution composed of water and acetic acid. Vinegar as a product has already undergone both alcohol and acid fermentation.
• The content of acetic acid in vinegar makes it an acidic compound. In most types of vinegar, the pH level is 2.5. Especially the white distilled type of vinegar is commonly used as a cleaning agent in homes on various surfaces. It also has antimicrobial properties.
• You can deter bugs, especially spiders, from entering your home with white vinegar. You can also stop a trail of ants marching on your walls, tables, or floor by spraying them with distilled white vinegar. Ants are dependent on each other’s pheromone, and the vinegar will help break that, causing panic in their orderly line.
• Pairing vinegar with essential oils such as tea tree oil, lemon rind oil, or orange peel oil can increase its effectiveness.

However, vinegar offers short-term and limited effects when fighting against bugs because

• It is not as effective as a stand-alone treatment against serious cases of infestation. Furthermore, vinegar won't be able to penetrate the hard casings that protect bug eggs.
• Vinegar alone is not enough as the treatment for an entire infestation.
• It is not capable of repelling the pests out of your property.
• Overdoing the vinegar spray option will mean soaking the entire bedroom with the liquid's pungent corrosive smell. However, it can be used together with lavender, lemongrass, cinnamon, clove, peppermint, and tea tree oils to repel bugs, especially bed bugs.